1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of oral swabs and, more particularly, to an oral suction swab for aspirating liquid or other material from an oral cavity of a patient.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Suction swabs are used to perform oral care on patients who cannot swallow, such as when undergoing a dental procedure or due to some physical impairment or mechanical obstruction. Typically, the swabs are disposable and constructed in various shapes and sizes. A typical swab includes a foam head, a suction tube and a vacuum break. Often times, the foam head will include an opening in a distal end portion that leads into the suction tube to aid in aspirating fluid from an oral cavity. However, a single opening positioned in the distal end is often times not properly orientated in order to efficiently aspirate all oral fluids. In addition, if full vacuum force is applied to the swab, tissue can be undesirably drawn into the opening.
In order to address the above problems, suction swabs have been developed with a pair of aligned openings that extend through side portions of the foam head and the suction tube. The pair of openings not only allowed for better aspiration of fluids, but one of the pair of holes served as a vacuum break in the event that tissue started to extrude into another of the pair of openings. However, given the confined working space in an oral cavity, tissue can actually be extruded into both openings simultaneously. In addition, as the pair of openings were formed in the foam head and the suction tube at the same time, generally rough edges are formed in the suction tube. Any tissue drawn into a suction opening and engaging a rough edge could be bruised.
In order to allow for greater access into the oral cavity or provide a more ergonomic positioning, often times the suction tube is angled near the distal end, proximate to the foam head. The angle of the suction tube aides healthcare workers in accessing the oral cavity without requiring awkward arm positioning. However, the location of the bend is not properly positioned for all conditions, particularly for patients in intensive care units (ICU). In an ICU, a patient's head may be raised to an angle of 30 degrees or more in order to prevent a common condition referred to as ventilator associated pneumonia. If the healthcare worker employs a suction tube that is not angled or the angle of the suction tube does not correspond to the angle of the patient's head, the arm of the healthcare worker may be placed at a non-ergonomic angle which could lead to discomfort for the patient, as well as to discomfort or fatigue to the healthcare worker.
Thus, based on the above, there still exists a need for enhancements to suction swabs for aspirating oral fluids. More specifically, there exists a need for an oral suction swab having a plurality of openings that will effectively remove fluids from an oral cavity, while ensuring that tissue is not extruded into the swab. In addition, there exists a need for an oral swab having a head that is approximately angled so as to alleviate unnecessary stress, discomfort and fatigue when used in aspirating fluids from a patient.